The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-05-05
Maine Freshets.

GREATEST DAMAGE FOR YEARS. AU-
GUSTA, BANGOR, AND LEWISTON IN
DER WATERY TRIBUTE. SERIOUS
WASHOUTs AND TRAINS DELAYED.
GARDINER, April 30. The water in the
throughout last night, and this morning
at Gardiner it was nearly as high as the
freshet of 1876. At eight o'clock Browns
Island boom, one mile above Gardiner
gave way and the greater portion Of the
logs went through to the sea. The Gar
diner lumbermen are on the lookout fol
the logs of tho broken Fairfield boom
and will attempt to prevent their follow
ing the Brown Island logs. All trains on
the Augusta line of the Maine Central
were running on time this morning. The
track in several places between Gardiner
and Watervillc was under water this fore
noon. All the wharvcs were covered tc
depth Of several feet. The water in
the Cobbosseccontee, flowing into the
kennebec at Gardiner, reached the high
est point ever known this morning, caus
ing total suspension of business along
its banks, and flooding many store cellars
on Water street, some to the depth ofsiS
feet. Most of the traders have removed
their goods, but considerable loss cannot
be avoided
Later-The highest tide yet eXperien.
ced was at 8 O'clock this evening. The
causeway was completely submerged
The Maine Central railroad track fol
moro than quarter Of mile in Farm
ingdale was from Is inches to 2 feet un-
der water. Every basement along Water
street was filled. Traders by extraordi-
nary efforts succeeded in saving most Of
their goods, although losses in this way
will amount to fully $4,000. Among the
largest losers are u. F. Little, Frank W.
Cox, VIM. Ring, and Sumner Soule. AT
an early hour Saturday morning the
alarm bell was rung, and prompt answers
by the traders saved thousands of dollars
to them. The height of water in Cob
bosseecontoc stream stopped the running
OF the shoe factory, saw mill, planning
mills and machine shops on the stream,
thus temporarily throwing about 500 en-
ployes out of work. No mails through
the day have been received east OF Au-
gusta and mails from stage routes only
reached here by carriers leaving their
coaches and fording the streams and
travelling through the fields The main
road between Gardiner and Augusta in
several places is under water, rendering
travelling impossible. All roads through
the surrounding country are reported
generally impossible. At this hour. 10
P. m, the gratifying report is received
from Skowhcgan that the water is falling
Oft and it is now thought that the worst
effect of the flood has been experienced.
AUGUSTA, April 30 At Augusta this
afternoon the water was still rising but
slowly. From 10 a. m. to | p. M, the
river rose only an incl. At 30 this
afternoon the water was flowing over the
dam at the Edwards mill II feet and 8
inches deep. The owners Of the proper
ty on the wharves and in the cellars along
Water street are having hard time re-
moving the goods to places of safety.
The oldest inhabitant calls it u hard
frcshet. An old gentleman who has kept
an accurate account of the spring fresh
cts says that to day the water is higher
in the kennebec at Augusta than it has
been since 1889, with the exception of
the ice ireshet. Some say that the worst
is not yet over. There is vast amount
of snow in the woods up river that has
not Yet melted, and this will make the
river still higher Logs have been piling
over the Augusta dam 10y the thousands
all day long. Several Augusta firms will
lose heavily by the breaking of the up
river bOOms.
Later. The water in the kenncbec has
reached its highest point unless We have
more rain. 1t has been at a stand still
for several hours. The cotton mills here
have been silent to-day, as back water
prevented operation of the wheels. The
water is over the Maine Central track at
Lows farm, three miles above Getchell's
Corner, Vassalboro, for distance Of
twenty rods, and is three feet deep, so
that trains cannot run. The ! p. m.
train from Bangor was cancelled beyond
this city. JeWetts train went as far as
Nassalboro and returned.
FAIRFIELD, April 30 The treshct here
is the greatest since 1869 The water is
still rising rapidly and Main street is
overlooked in several places. The bulk
head at Somerset has gone taking with it
twenty thousands dollars worth of logs,
belonging to Lawrence, Phillips 4 Co..
The big jam from Carratunk went by
Fairfield this morning. Most of these
logs belong to Hon. 5. a. Nye The pulp
mill bridge has started and unless held,
the other Fairfield bridges will 60.
WATERvILLE, April 30. In Watcrville
it has been raining for thirty six hours
and the kennebec ishigher than for eigh-
teen years. Two million logs at the
Somerset mills broke loose and are now
floating over the Waterville dams. Many
buildings along the bank are atloat. The
water is still rising at the rate of six
inches per hour. The damage cannot fail
to be great. The freshet Oh the Kenne-
bee and Sebasticook is now higher than
ever before known and still rising. The
wooden bridge across the latter is flooded
and will probably 60. The iron railroad
bridge below is in great danger. The
stores and post Office in that village are
flooded so that the United States mails
had to be removed.
The Lockwood upper dam at Water
vile is in great danger of being swept
away. If this should occur twenty dwell
ings will 60 with the food.
Numerous washouts on the line of the
Maine Central and travel is seriously in
terrupted.
BANGOR, April 30. Rain has continued
to fall here all day, and this, added to
the rapidly melting snow up the river,
has brought the Penobscot up to a very
high pitch, higher in fact than for many
years. 1t is now running over the water
works dam at depth of feet 8 inches.
Many stray logs are floating down the
river and the loss to some of the lumber
firms OF this city will be very heavy.
kenduskeag stream, which flows into the
Penobscot at Bangor, is also very high.
The cellars of stores along the river front
are flooded.
Several washouts on the railroad in the
vicinity of Bangor are reported and all
the n-cOming trains are late. The worst
washout is at Carmel, where all the
Maine Central trains have been delayed
several hours.
Later. The rain is not yet over, the
water is still rising in the Penobscot 1t
is now nine feet and seven inches, run
ming over the dam. At the water works
four inches more than ever known. No
damage of any consequence is reported.
Western trains were delayed an hour and
a half and made no connections on lower
road beyond Waterville. The Piscata-
quis Railroad overlooked from Guilford
to Abbott Village and the track is washed
away, causing a transfer. All traffic sus-